Chan Lowe: If women ran the government

If women ran the government

If women ran the government

Chan Lowe

Nobody questions that Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz elicits passionate opinions from both ends of the political spectrum. Liberals lionize her because she’s an articulate advocate for their causes. Conservatives detest her, not just because they disagree with her, but also because she’s “uppity;” she exhibits certain characteristics admired in men, but deplored in women. In other words, she refuses to be ignored or dismissed.

Certain traditionalist males find her demeanor abrasive. Just ask former Rep. Allen West, who famously described her thus: “She’s no lady.” This says a lot more about the way Col. West and his ilk expect women to adhere to archaic rules of decorum than it does about DWS’ behavior as a public servant. “Blessed are the meek,” isn’t a saying respected in the legislative arena — something the honorable lady learned a long time ago in the Tallahassee sandbox.

Recent events in Washington have caused us to re-evaluate the qualities that comprise effective statesmanship, and in the wake of the shutdown debacle we hear rumblings among the female citizenry that they do not include on this list the testosterone-driven, chest-thumping, winner-take-all, blood-on-the-ground servicing of egos that currently passes for the legislative process.

In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Ms. Wasserman Schultz put it clearly, as is her wont. She said that what Congress needs is the kind of cooperation, consensus building, and “willingness to get to ‘yes’” that women have traditionally used as their preferred avenue for reaching favorable outcomes. This methodology respects the goals of all parties, and the need for everyone to come away from the table having secured something he or she wanted. There is no need to destroy one’s opponent in order to validate one’s victory. The focus is on solutions rather than saving face.

One narrative that emerged from the shutdown fight centers on a bipartisan group of six female senators who worked quietly behind the scenes to keep lines of communication open. Even a Senate dinosaur like John McCain acknowledged the debt that legislative body owes to these women for helping craft last Wednesday’s eleventh-hour compromise.

Most important, the women involved have said that the bonds they forged during the standoff endure, and will continue to serve them and their colleagues as the nation faces future crises.

It sounds a lot like the approach the Founding Fathers must have had in mind when they designed this intentionally clumsy system. And, let’s face it — it would be hard to find anyone more tradition-bound than those guys.